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Climate Change Levy
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of the climate change levy to his Department and (b) the savings from the reduction in national insurance contributions that will occur when it is introduced. [88865]
Mr. Morley: The net impact of the climate change levy and the associated reduction in main rate of employers' National Insurance Contributions on this department will depend on the rates of climate change levy. The final rates of climate change levy will not be set until Finance Bill 2000.
In addition, the Government are still considering a number of detailed issues on the tax treatment of different energy products which could have a significant impact in some instances. It is therefore not possible to give definitive figures about the impact of the climate change levy on this department.
Organophosphorous Sheep Dips
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the report by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh into the effects of exposure to organophosphorous sheep dips will be published. [89848]
Mr. Rooker: The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) is today publishing its report on the effects of exposure to organophosphorous sheep dips.
The report identifies handling of OP sheep dip concentrates as the main source of potential exposure. It suggests that the identified exposure to concentrates was associated with an increased likelihood of ill-health in the groups studied.
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The report is being submitted immediately for consideration by the OP Working Group of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) which is reviewing the evidence on the possible ill-health effects of OPs. We expect to receive advice from COT, and from the other independent expert advisory committees on the implications of the COT advice, by the end of the year.
In addition, I have asked the Veterinary Products Committee and the Advisory Committee on Pesticides to consider urgently, in advance of the COT advice, whether the report has any immediate implications for approvals of OPs or whether further measures are necessary.
I have also written today to representatives of manufacturers seeking a meeting within the week to discuss what action they will be proposing in response to the report.
I am placing copies of the report in the Library of the House.
Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about closure of the Countryside Access Scheme. [89849]
Mr. Morley:
I am announcing today that the Countryside Access Scheme will be closed to new applications. This pilot agri-environment scheme provided public access to set aside land. Public access to farmland will continue to be available under the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes, which provide more comprehensive incentives for farmers to provide access.
All existing CAS agreements will continue until the end of their five year terms. At the expiry of their agreements, farmers will be offered the opportunity to apply for agreements under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Those which provide good quality opportunities for public access will be offered agreements.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the outcome of the BMA survey which asked if junior doctors were prepared to take some form of industrial action regarding the out-of-hours rates of pay and conditions of service; [88068]
Mr. Denham:
Pay rates for junior doctors, including rates for out-of-hours work, are decided on the basis of recommendations by the independent Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body (DDRB). Their 28th Report, published on 1 February 1999, concluded that
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I value the commitment of all junior doctors working in the National Health Service. However, the threat of industrial action following the recent survey is an appropriate response in the light of that commitment, which can serve only to jeopardise patient care if carried through and is inappropriate for professional staff whose pay is set on the basis of recommendations made by an independent Review Body. Industrial action could undermine the modern staffing initiatives we are seeking to introduce to improve the working lives of junior doctors: shorter working hours, better training opportunities, decent pay levels, higher standards of accommodation and catering facilities and new family friendly employment practices.
Sir Nicholas Lyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the health authorities in which junior hospital doctors can be on call and working for periods of (i) 24 hours, (ii) 32 hours, (iii) 36 hours, (iv) 48 hours and (v) any longer continuous period and (b) those specialties or areas of hospital medicine in which such hours on call and working most frequently occur. [86707]
Mr. Denham:
The information is not available in the format requested.
Mr. Moore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department's response to the report of the Pensions and Retirement Age Working Group, published by the Ambulance Service Association 1997. [89087]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 30 June 1999]: The National Health Service Executive and the National Health Service Pensions Agency have discussed the findings of the report with the Ambulance Service Association. Further work is being done on costing the proposals.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Joint Working Group which he set up with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to improve the provision of therapies for children with special educational needs to complete its work. [87854]
Mr. Hutton:
The working group on the provision of speech and language therapy services to children with special educational needs was established in November 1998 and its membership includes representatives of a wide range of interested parties. The working group has met on four occasions to date. Progress and future plans will be reviewed at the group's meeting in November
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1999 in the light of preliminary feedback from specially commissioned research into speech and language therapy provision.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is currently being undertaken or commissioned by the National Radiological Protection Board on the health effects of mobile communications base stations on the neighbouring population. [88108]
Ms Jowell:
The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) has a programme of research into exposures and possible effects of radiofrequency radiation from mobile phones and base stations. It has carried out field measurements in the vicinity of a number of base stations and it is proposed to extend the measurement database to be representative of a variety of base station locations in the United Kingdom.
Experimental work is in progress to investigate potential effects on learning and memory using low level signals of the type used for mobile telephony. A research programme to investigate the possible induction of chromosome damage in cultured human cells is being developed.
Other work involves computer models derived from medical images of people; these have been used to calculate how electromagnetic fields interact with the body. This work is ongoing.
The NRPB's Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation continues to review research on the health effects of electromagnetic fields and NRPB have been instructed to set up an independent working group to assess the current state of research into the use of mobile phones. The group will be chaired by Sir William Stewart FRS, FRSE. The membership and terms of reference will be announced shortly.
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the FP10(HP)(ad) and FP10(MDA) forms will be amended to include buprenorphine (Subutex), to enable medical practitioners to prescribe the drug on a daily basis for a week by completing one form. [87999]
Mr. Denham:
At present I have no plans to add buprenorphine to the list of drugs which may be prescribed by doctors on FP10(HP)(ad) and FP10(MDA) prescription forms.
(2) what discussions he is having with the BMA's Junior Doctors' Committee about improving the hourly rates paid to junior doctors for their work at night, weekends and bank holidays. [88067]
"there was no need for changes to the existing working patterns of junior doctors and against that background the existing rates of additional duty hours remain appropriate".
I held a positive and constructive meeting on 10 June with the representatives of the Junior Doctors' Committee on a number of issues relating to pay and conditions of service. We agreed that further meetings with officials would be held over the coming weeks.
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